The Freedom We Had: The Freedom We Need

Tomorrow is the 4th of July; a holiday often celebrated because of the hard-fought liberty that we won from an oppressive and tyrannical government. A holiday that commemorates the lives lost in pursuit of something our county had come to know spiritually through freedom in Christ, but needed to experience on a civic level to grow in our faith. July 4, 1776 was the day that we declared with the Declaration of Independence, that we would not be ruled by an oppressive government and would not submit to laws and rules that infringed on the freedoms given by God himself. We were a stronger people then. We cared and loved a lot differently than we do now.

Fast forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow we celebrate the 4th of July for our 239th time. Tomorrow, we will shoot off fireworks, dance in streets, and let the holiday go down with a burger, and perhaps a cold beverage or two. But the freedom this holiday once stood for has been flipped onto it’s head. No longer are we celebrating the freedom from a tyrannical and oppressive government, but now we celebrate the freedom from morality; from religion.

In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obergefell v. Hodges, we can fairly say, without any panic or horror, that we have traded the freedom we had, for the freedom from religion. But as Christians, the reality is neither one of these forms of freedom is the freedom our country needs. The freedom needed is the freedom that our country was founded on from the very beginning; freedom in Christ.

The freedom we had as a nation to practice our faith as we saw fit, now is being replaced with a government that increasingly will dictate to all people how they are to live their lives. But we as Christians have something that is still worth celebrating; it’s the freedom we need. Freedom in Christ means that no matter how oppressive our government is or will be, we can live with love in our hearts. We can have hope for the future, because in the end, all will be made right. Because in the end, all those who believe will be set free.

This fourth of July, do not despair! Rejoice in the freedom Christ has provided. Shoot off fireworks, dance in the streets, and enjoy that burger and cold beverage. And perhaps this holiday, while the world continues to seek hope in empty pits of darkness, maybe…just maybe we’ll allow our lives as Christians to light up the night sky with a brilliance of colors, that draws people’s attention with love, and shakes the earth with a resounding sound of celebration. Let’s live out our mission, and shine our light for the world to see!